Citizenship Foundation: educating for effective citizenship

Young people meet the Chancellor in run up to emergency budget

On 17 June 2010, with an emergency budget just five days away, this year’s Chance to be Chancellor winner and runners up spoke with the Chancellor in his office to discuss their views on the economy. Following this they accepted their awards at an event, at HM Treasury’s historic Churchill Room, to celebrate their achievements.

The winner, Jamie Ells, 17, from Merchant Taylors' School, in Middlesex, took to the podium to explain his policy choices and the value of taking part in the competition. Chance to be Chancellor is a competition run by the Citizenship Foundation, an education and participation charity, in partnership with Aviva and The Times. It calls on young people across the UK to get to grips with the Budget and give their perspectives on the UK economy.

After meeting the Chancellor, Jamie said, ‘Chance to be Chancellor allowed me to express my own thoughts and meet in person the people who make the decisions. It was amazing to meet the Chancellor and speak to him about the policies I suggested in my entry.'